Description

The third volume, part two of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. GAME OF THRONES is now a major TV series from HBO, featuring a stellar cast. The Starks are scattered. Robb Stark may be King in the North, but he must bend to the will of the old tyrant Walder Frey if he is to hold his crown. And while his youngest sister, Arya, has escaped the clutches of the depraved Cersei Lannister and her son, the capricious boy-king Joffrey, Sansa Stark remains their captive. Meanwhile, across the ocean, Daenerys Stormborn, the last heir of the Dragon King, delivers death to the slave-trading cities of Astapor and Yunkai as she approaches Westeros with vengeance in her heart.show more

Review quote

'Of those who work in the grand epic fantasy tradition, George R.R. Martin is by far the best' Time magazine 'Colossal, staggering... all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome' SFX 'The sheer mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads... Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias' Guardianshow more

About George R. R. Martin

George R.R. Martin is the author of fourteen novels, including five volumes of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, several collections of short stories and numerous screen plays for television drama and feature films. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.show more

Customer reviews

It actually took me two years to read this one. The first two and a half books (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and the first part of A Storm of Swords) were such an easy and delightful read. This one was no different. Up until the Red Wedding that is. I was so mad at the book/Martin himself for killing off people (even though he previously killed off a lot of people I loved, this time I felt like it was too much) that I just couldn't force myself to continue reading. Two years later I finally decided to set my grudge aside and finish the book.
And what a redemption the book pulled off. When in doubt, don't doubt in Martin. If you've gotten to this book, there's no doubt you love Martin's work. Otherwise you'd be long gone from this.
A Storm of Swords might not be my favorite A Song of Ice and Fire book, but it's just as good as the ones before it. If there ever was an epic fantasy story, this is it. I've read somewhere - A Song of Ice and Fire doesn't have a bar to live up to. It is the bar. And that's exactly how it is. I could throw words that describe this one for hours and I still wouldn't be finished.
It has everything an epic should have and more!show more